Savannah's first century

Savannah is tough.

Last Saturday the day finally arrived for Savannah's big ride, she was so excited that she woke up before dad and was chomping at the bit to get out the door.

First thing dad had to do though was to take her shorts and lather them up with shammy cream, I think she was a little taken back when she pulled them on.

So we got out the door and drove to Canyon bicycles to start the ride, after meeting up with all of our buddies and having a great Jamba Juice we started the ride.

Savannah had fun racing everyone there, especially Cameron, every time he would come around the side of us I would feel a little surge coming from Savannah.  

When we would start getting dropped on a hill Savannah would yell, faster dad faster, they are getting away from us. 

Although we got dropped several times over, we were very  fortunate to have good friends who would wait up for us and pull us back to the group. In fact by the end of the ride I was so shot that Cameron was literally pushing me up the hills.

Savannah ended up holding out far better than dad, she was always encouraging dad to go faster and catch the guys in front. Dad cramped up so bad at the end of the ride that Savannah had to push me along until my legs came back.

Savannah is the most determined kid I know, she has a unconquerable spirit. It is great to be her dad, and to see her develop into the leader she was meant to be.

The Church and Gay Marriage

The Church will be reading a letter this sunday in sacrament meetings reguarding the constitutional amendment for homosexual marriage in California  Link . The letter contains very strong language, some might even say that it is sugestive of what we hear in the temple. The last paragraph states

"We ask that you do all that you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating your means and time to assure that marriage in California is leagally defined as between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

What do you think, is the church overstepping their bounds by getting involved in political matters? 

There are members of the church who have come right out in criticism of the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, saying that they have no business getting involved with this (Link).

The internet is aflame with this topic right now, there are even many stating that they believe that the church will eventually concede on this stating that it will be just like when the blacks received the priesthood.

I do not see the church changing their position on this one they seem to have clearly drawn a line in the sand and have called for members to make a stand.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

Breakfast like a king

When I was racing back in Kentucky, I learned a secret that has been of great help to me over the years.

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a servant, and dinner like a popper"

A high carb, big breakfast will fuel you through the day and keep you feeling satisfied.

Lunch should be smaller but still have some carbs.

Dinner should be the smallest meal and it should be low carb and high fiber (big salads).

The logic for this diet, particularly for an athlete is that you put the right types of fuel into your body at the right times. What good are carbs right before bed? You do not need carbohydrates to sleep, so if your body does not convert them into energy it will convert them to glucose and then fat. Eating big early in the day also kick starts your metabolism, particularly when combined with a workout.

This has been a good diet for me over the years (when I have had the discipline to follow it).

Yesterday, Chad sent the following article to me and I think it has some merit.

Big Breakfast Helps Weight Loss

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – You’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now piling an extra helping on your plate may actually help trim your waistline.

New research from Venezuela and Virginia Commonwealth University shows eating a big breakfast filled with carbohydrates and protein then eating a low-carb, low-calorie diet the rest of the day can help you lose weight and keep it off.

Researchers compared their new diet with a strict low-carb diet in 94 obese women who were not physically active. Both diets were low in fat and total calories but had carbohydrates distributed differently.

On the very-low-carb diet 46 women ate 1,085 calories a day with 17 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of protein and 78 grams of fat. Breakfast was the smallest meal – participants were allowed 290 calories, seven grams of carbohydrates and 12 grams of protein.

The 48 women on the “big-breakfast diet” had 1,240 calories a day – 46 grams of fat, 97 grams of carbohydrates, and 93 grams of protein. They ate a 610-calorie breakfast with 58 grams of carbohydrates, 47 grams of protein and 22 fat grams. Lunch had 395 calories (34, 28 and 13 grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat, respectively); dinner had 235 calories (5, 18 and 26 grams, respectively).

After four months, results show the women on the low-carbohydrate diet lost an average of about 28 pounds. Those on the big-breakfast diet lost nearly 23 pounds on average. But after eight months, the low-carb dieters regained an average of 18 pounds, while the big-breakfast group kept losing weight, dropping another 16.5 pounds. Women on the new diet lost more than 21 percent of their body weight, compared with 4.5 percent in the low-carbohydrate group.

Researchers say the big-breakfast diet works because it makes you feel fuller and reduces cravings for sweets and starches. It boosts your metabolism and keeps it up all day long.

SOURCE: The Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, June 2-15, 2008

The big ride that aint so big

Well, big dreams are made for breaking.

I was all excited about the 1000 mile ride, until one by one everyone bailed on it. Ia m all up for a challenge, but 1000 miles in 5 days riding solo just does not sound that fun. So i will just be doing the Seattle to Portland ride and then flying home from there.

However I have talked with some of my buddies and we might try to do it over Labor Day weekend instead.

To make it more logistically easy we might just ride to Vegas and back in five days, and since everyone already has three days off I think it will be easier to get a better attendance.

Lets hear it for Labor day!

Idolatry and me

Yesterday, in Sunday school we talked about being better husbands and fathers. One of the things we discussed is how hard it is to help our wives because of how busy we are.

As husbands and fathers our role is to provide for our families, however as in many things the tendency has been to run to extortion. One of the biggest flaws we have fallen into as a society, is modern day idolatry.

Yes we are to provide, but how much and at what cost? Do we have to work 60 hours a week in order to provide for our families? If we are serving the almighty dollar all day long, competing for possessions, from 8:00 am till 7:00 pm, when are we raising our families, when are we administering to the sick and afflicted, and when are we building the Kingdom of God. 

Is this the way God intends us to live?

Today during a lunch break I ran across "The False Gods we Worship" by President Spencer W. Kimball and it reminded me of our sunday school discussion, so I thought I would throw a quote from the talk into this blog.

Here are his words:

The Lord has blessed us as a people with a prosperity unequaled in times past. The resources that have been placed in our power are good, and necessary to our work here on the earth. But I am afraid that many of us have been surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth and have begun to worship them as false gods, and they have power over us. Do we have more of these good things than our faith can stand? Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums to build up the kingdom of God -- to further the missionary effort and the genealogical and temple work; to raise our children up as fruitful servants unto the Lord; to bless others in every way that they may also be fruitful. Instead, we expend these blessings on our own desires, and as Moroni said, "Ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and you notice them not" (Mormon 8:39).

As the Lord himself said in our day, "They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall" (D&C 1:16; italics added).

I know that I spend way to much time and effort on the vain things of the world. Sundays discussion and this talk has been a great reminder for me to review where my heart and priorities are.

Pull my finger

Tonight the funniest thing happened.

Shiloh came up to mom saying "Pull my finger, Pull my finger", so I thought I would watch to see what Shiloh would do, and how mom would react.

Well we all know the old pull my finger joke, but this was Shilos first time trying it out on her own.

So Shiloh holds out her finger, and mom

 gives it a courtesy pull, then Shiloh focused and focused, and we waited and waited until.... Oh mom!... I gotta go to the bathroom!

Yes, you guessed it, the old pull my finger trick back fired on little Shiloh (literally). I guess she learned a new level of respect for dads old trick. Like all good tricks they look easier than they really are.

Anyhow Jess and I were bent over just laughing our heads off after little Shiloh ran to the bathroom, it wasnt long after that Shiloh called mom in requesting a change of panties be brought in to her.

Well, this was just one of those priceless moments that parenting brings.

Fast versus Fat

As a cyclist I have a real de-lima, I love to ride and I love to eat.

It is a well known fact that fat cyclist do not make fast cyclists, and I want to be fast.

Before I go on, I need to make a disclaimer to any non believers (cyclists). Fat in the cycling world is not the same as fat in the real world. The heavier you and your bike are the more watts you have to generate to get up that hill. Cyclist can pay thousands of dollars to make their bike lose a pound of weight. If you are just an average chump like me you need all the help you can get. So fat has nothing to do with looks, but everything to do with the vanity and pride of smoking my buddies.

This winter I was down to my lowest winter weight in years, hovering at 153. I thought for sure I would drop down to 149 by racing season. Well you know what they say about good intentions... 

I now weigh 156 and am getting my but kicked on the climbs. I have a big race this weekend with a 30 mile climb to Evanston, but I have found that I have procrastinated the

 day of my repentance to long. Now I will struggle to hang with the middle of the group, instead of charging off the front with the leaders. 

Oh well, such is life right? I have enjoyed a lot of good pastries and meals lately, I even found an amazing Cannoli at Granatos Bakery a few weeks ago, and  all the daily lunch trips to the bakeries in SLC have been wonderful. 

Maybe I will cut back on the massive amounts of calories I have been consuming all spring tomorrow...

If I only had Jessica's self control, then I would finally be fast.

Family rides

Last Friday we finally committed and bought another tag a long. Now instead of just mom and dad going out on a ride the whole family can go out and rack up the miles. We went on our first ride last Saturday, and the girls had a blast. Shiloh had a huge grin on her face the whole time, I think she is going to be a little speed junkie. Savannah had the most fun when I would just coast and let her push me along.

I am probably racing this Saturday, but we are excited to get the girls out on a 50 mile ride soon.